Most of you already know most of this: the substantial changes (dates, one rule change) are underlined to aid the lazy reader...

RulesTeam of exactly nine riders. Teams with fewer riders will be filled out with cheapest riders available (2nd sort criteria will be alphabetical by surname). If quota of nine cannot be reached in this manner (eg, 8 riders totalling exactly 3500, no free riders starting race) team will be disqualified.

Riders selected who do not start the Giro will be replaced by the next most expensive from their own team, if possible, otherwise as above.

Teams with more than 9 riders will have their most expensive pick(s) removed from their squad,

Budget Budget will be 3500 points.

Price of ridersCQ current score as at 3rd May, with points accumulated over 12 months leading up to that date, for which the update file that CQ release on Monday 4th will be considered definitive. There is, as in the past, a dropbox spreadsheet of riders likely to participate and their prices for the game, and a facility for checking the team total.

Rider eligibilityAs in the Classics game the previous prohibition of any rider who had been under a ban for any part of the period during which their price is scrapped this year. All riders participating in the Giro are eligible.

Submitting your teamBy personal message to me. Players who have accounts at both CN and VR are asked to use the VR personal message system (I have an unlimited inbox there)Pleeeeeeeease send the team with names formatted as per CQ. It makes an enormous difference to the efficiency of adding teams. If you use the dropbox spreadsheet it will be a simple copy and paste job.I have lodged my team with Comodoro, the first person to submit a team, so that there can be confidence that I didn't pick from among the best of everyone else's ideas. (My track record in my own games is pretty appalling anyway)

DeadlineSaturday 9th May at whatever time the first team rolls down the ramp. (I think 3pm Italian time/2pm UK)

24 hours to go: 28 teams in; 74 different riders selected, of whom two are in more than half the teams, and 24 are unique picks.

I will be away from my computer until well into tomorrow afternoon (unscheduled family happening). The deadline remains in place, but if any teams need adjustments (not that they should be necessary), I guess I'll have to allow time after I alert the miscreants.

I'll post full teams when I can, and some time on Saturday: if you really can't wait until then to share your wisdom with the world, at least wait until the race is underway and entries are closed.

! When Murali submitted his team, fairly early, he said that he would have little chance to visit the forum for a couple of weeks. His team included Eros Capecchi, who was then listed to ride, and he has been unable to reply since being alerted to this. As Capecchi was the cheapest rider from his team, and his replacement was dearer, a strict application of the rules would mean I would give him Carretero. However, he could afford another Movistar rider: Dayer Quintana (5 points dearer than Capecchi). I have decided that it is more sporting to make that switch on his behalf. Quintana Jnr was not an outstandingly popular pick for other teams, so I don't think I am giving him a vastly unfair advantage: if Murali wins and you consider this unjust, blame me.

Otherwise, every team was on budget and only eligible riders first time: well done all.

101 of the 197 riders are selected (luckily, no-one had gone for George Bennett)

I'll post a Collective Wisdom team score based on the top seven in this chart, + Rosa (joint 8th), and Ruffoni (still leaves the CW team a little over budget, but he is a lot cheaper than Contador, Van den Broeck, Uran or Kreuziger, who were more popular but omitted)